The Balenciaga Museum In Getaria

Along the coast of Northern Spain in the Basque region is Getaria, birthplace of the famous Cristóbal Balenciaga and where the Balenciaga museum dedicated to his work opened its doors in 2011.

The museum is an annex building to Palacio Almadar, residence of the Marqués and Marquesa of Casa Torres, who were mentors to Balenciaga during the early days of his career.

The annexed construction, designed by the Cuban architect Julián Argilagos, is a structural concept with an integrated floor to ceiling glass wall, which creates a calm ambiance with natural lights muted by the dark grey of the interior walls.

The contemporary museum spreads out on three floors and features around 1,600 vintage and classic items from the innovative fashion designer. You will discover the timeless pieces that revolutionized the female silhouette and that are considered today classic-cuts even though they still radiate stylishness decades later.

Visiting the museum is interesting in addition to being informative about the most important pieces of the collections as the Balenciaga Museum indicates the history of each piece, their owner and wearer.

Looking back to this era, it seems that the structured collars and materials that don’t accentuate the feminine shapes are elegant and graceful. The visit also allows us to look back to that period and to discover how fashion was conceived and most importantly how it has evolved over the years.

And if you have some time on your hand after visiting the museum, makes sure to visit the charming fishing village of Getaria with its cobblestones streets. There, you can pass by one of its restaurants to enjoy local seafood and Txakoli, a sparkling white wine unique to the region